Russia's Military Modernizes

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov unveiled an ambitious spending plan Wednesday allowing Russia to maintain its nuclear deterrent while developing its conventional forces.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles, aircraft carriers and an early warning radar system will figure prominently in the Defense Ministry's eight-year, $189 billion plan, Ivanov said in comments before the State Duma.

The plan also makes it easier for the military to launch rockets into space from Russian territory, said the defense minister, who is considered a leading contender for president in 2008.

Ivanov boasted that the spending plan he outlined Wednesday gives the country the capacity to fight "wars of the future," Interfax reported.

Indeed, nearly half -- 45 percent -- of military hardware now being used would be replaced in the course of the 2007-2015 procurement program.

This year alone will see $11.3 billion spent on new arms.

The modernization of the armed forces reflects Russia's economic resurgence over the past several years: This year's defense budget of $31 billion marks a nearly fourfold increase from the $8 billion spent in 2001.

Ivan Safranchuk of the Center for Defense Information called the build-up evidence that Russia seeks to "expand its military-political influence across the globe."

In a further sign of the country's assertiveness, Ivanov also said Russia retained the right to launch a pre-emptive, conventional strike, and he ruled out any personnel cuts.

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In 2007, Ivanov said, the armed forces will acquire four satellites and four "launch vehicles."

Procurement of intercontinental ballistic missiles will jump markedly in the coming years: In 2007, 17 ICBM's will be bought, compared to no more than 10 in previous years.

Russia will also continue operating 50 long-range Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers, Ivanov said. And the country will buy Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles. A series of launch test failures had delayed purchase of the SLBM's and a new generation of atomic submarines.

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Between 2012 and 2015, Russia must decommission almost all of its Soviet-built ICBM's, given that the missiles' service lives will have expired. In the arena of conventional, or non-nuclear, forces, Russia plans to buy 31 ships, including aircraft carriers. Also, additional arms will be bought for tank, infantry and airborne battalions

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I wonder if this is in addition to the defense budget or if these purchases will be included. Certainly interesting though, especially about aircraft carriers and new ships.

Vlad Plasmius said:

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I wonder if this is in addition to the defense budget or if these purchases will be included. Certainly interesting though, especially about aircraft carriers and new ships.

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Russia want modern military:roll: . Well just sell better stuffs to China and make some money. Then they can do it. Otherwise they can not afford it.

The Russians have one thing in vast quantities that the world economy runs on: oil. And right now, they are making a good killing with the gas prices today.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles, aircraft carriers and an early warning radar system will figure prominently in the Defense Ministry's eight-year, $189 billion plan

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Because of that sentance I think the new arms purchases are included in the $189B figure. That is an average of 23,625B per year. Meaning this year half of it would be for procurement, a rather big amount.
Especially new carriers will be a sign to gain greater international influence. Let's see if they get a cat CV.
And Russia now sellign it's oil for world market prices to everyone won't face imminent butget problems, I believe.

Just to broaden the topic out a bit, Does Russia really need a carrier fleet? China needs a CV force because of the need to protect it's oil supply routes, Russia has more oil than it can use. Traditionally Russia has been a continental as opposed to a maritime power and at the minute it doesn't appear that Russia faces any credible external threat, far more likely, IMO, would be more Chechen style insurgencies. Perhaps the money intended for future carriers would be better spent upgrading the Russian army to fight such campaigns?

But speaking purely as a naval enthusiast I'd love to see a credible and effective Russian carrier fleet. Who knows, perhaps the plans for Ulyanovsk are being dusted off?

Re: Russia's Military Modernizes - bad news for others

I say this is bad news for countries next to russia. They have to increase defence spending to counter this, and it's gonna be expensive.

Especially the baltic sea area is affected as russia is reportedly building up forces there to protect the new energy transit routes trough gulf of finland. In a way, eastern part of baltic sea will become a "home" area for russian fleet.

As I'm from Finland which shares a long border with russia AND baltic sea is our lifeline to europe, this is very serious situation for us. We probably don't have enough resorces to all-around modernize our armed forces so something ingenious have to be invented.

Gollevainen, you agree?

Didn't they just whined becouse US didnt sold us the JASSM systme for Hornets, but we got the SLAM-ER deal trough tougth....and I spotted someone mentioning Russian long range SSMs as the target these systems are aquired for...

But As Estonia is in NATO, and we both are in EU, there is a change for close co-operation between us two If we would engage Russia and that brings the closing of Gulf Of Finland as a source of extra grey hairs to the Russian maritme planners.

But More like increasing thread, this merely puts things back to the basic status quo that has somewhat existed in there region since the Viking age. The question should more be that how will the politics see it, Do we see it as a reason to seek militarisation and NATO alligment or see it as a warning sing that things are going to the wrong way. I would like to still believe that Europe poses too important economical sector to Russia that it just cannot afford to go odds with us. The recent high profile rumblings should be seen more as a sings of centuries old Russian diplomatic handicap and how Moscow is poking its boundaries with a stick and seeing what it can do and what they cannot.

After all Russia has effectly been kept outside of European and general western cultural hemisphere, and we cannot expect them to learn the rules of diplomacy and co-extince overnigth. Also we cannot as a west see the Russian resources as something automatically belonging to us becouse we are more democratic and "better" as nations. We both need to understand each others and seek the path that will not lead to confrontation.

Becouse if it will become, We finns are the ones getting the biggest blow as the two key areas, Leningrad district and Baltic sea; and the Kola & arctic sea region lies in our backyard.

I see this more as a issue of national pride and such things, a similarity with China. Russia is a huge country with a history and had very much to say in world politics until recently. They will not come back to that soon, but they somehow want to have a credible military option for international weight I think.
You probaby shouldn't see this as a direct threat to it's neighbours. I can't really see potential of conflicts especially in the russia.european region. Trade and political consensus to a degree is too importand.
I'm not really that convinced that -in the China case- you need a fleet consisting of several CBGs to protect oil lines. Unless you're going to clash with important powers on a really big sacle (US/NATO). And if that was your intention you might want CVs anyway, no matter if you're China or Russia.
Beisdes, that ICBM and ships thing is just the part most recognized. There will be other issues of modernization; tanks, infantry etc.
But then again the growing influence of europe and especially NATO on Russias borders makes them suspicious. Think of the Georgian thing.
Maybe they even already seek a counter-balance to future China.

Russia has been making some subtle moves to assert itself on the international field. They've signed some agreements with Algeria and there's even going to be a meeting on forming a natural gas body, similar to OPEC. Russia is trying to assert itself as the world's dominant energy provider, it seems to me, so they may consider a strong navy essential to protecting their source of income and of course, to counter the U.S. and China.

Russia is planning on moving its Black Sea Fleet to a port in Syria, projecting Russian naval power into the Mediterranean. I wouldn't be surprised if their first new carrier gets put there. Though, they may put in the Pacific.

As far as affording it, Russia currently has $300 billion of foreign cash reserves and while their funds from China sales are dropping slightly, it is increasing in several other countries.

Over the last few years Russia's budget has increased by about 25% each year. Their economy has also been growing by about 6.5% each year. With Russia becoming very assertive on the international energy market from gas to oil to nuclear and even to nickel, as well as efforts with the commercial aircraft industry all of these this will bring more money to government coffers.

In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if Russia ended up spending more than what this plan calls for on new purchases.

Modernize is the key word. Follow the most advance world trend. More focus on special forces. Increase efficiency of navy and aircraft: more multi-role ships and aircraft. This means getting rid of alot of other equipement and the pain of maintaining less efficient equipement (because it is a waste of money). Decrease the number of individuals in the military and spend more on R & D:

(1) If only you had a stealth bomber you wouldn't need 1000 extra airplanes and 100 000 extra members.
(2) Better radar and missiles means less radars and less missiles to maintain.
(3) Increase foreign military cooperation, therefore even less military members required and decreases the amount of capital required for R & D.

It is all logical.